Vietnamese Oil PalmCọ dầu Việt Nam

Edited and posted by Ho Dinh HaiLong An - VietnamUpdated: 22/11/2014

1- Introduction to Oil Palm

﻿﻿1- Scientific classification ﻿ Kingdom: Plantae Phylum: Angiosperms Division: Monocots Class: Commelinids Subclass: Arecidae Superorder: Areciforae Order: Arecales Family: Arecaceae Subfamily: Arecoideae Tribe: Cocoeae Genus: Elaeis Species: Elaeis guineensis Jacq.1.1.1- Subclass: Arecidae The Subclass Arecidae, the smallest and least homogeneous subclass in the angiosperms, includes four orders. Together the six families encompass about 4,800 species. ﻿1.1.2- Superorder: Areciforae﻿ Arranged from largest to smallest: 1-The Order Arecales; 2-The Order Arales; 3-The Order Pandanales; 4-The Order Cyclanthales.﻿1.1.3- Order : Arecales﻿ Including 1 family: the Family Arecaceae, or Palmae, or Palmaceae﻿﻿1.1.4- Family Arecaceae The Family Arecaceae, or Palmae, or Palmaceae, with 202 genera and about 2,800 species. Extensive taxonomic research on palms began with botanist H.E. Moore, who organized palms into 15 major groups based mostly on general morphological characteristics. In 1987, depending on a revision of Moore's classification, N.W. Uhl and J. Dransfield that organizes palms into six subfamilies. 1.1.5- Subfamily: Arecoideae The Subfamily Arecoideae are the largest subfamily, with six diverse tribes (Areceae-Caryoteae-Cocoeae-Geonomeae-Iriarteeae-Podococceae) containing over 100 genera. All tribes have pinnate or bipinnate leaves and flowers arranged in groups of three, with a central pistillate and two staminate flowers. 1.1.6- Tribe Cocoseae (about 20 genera) – Vietnamese: Tông Dừa Selected important genera:Bactris - PupunhaBeccariophoenixButia- Pindo or Jelly PalmCocos - Coconut (Vietnamese: Chi Dừa)Elaeis - Oil palm- (Vietnamese: Chi Cọ dầu) Euterpe - Cabbage heart palm, açaí palmJubaea-Chileanwine palm Parajubaea - Bolivian coconut palmsSyagrus- Queen palm1.1.7- Genus Elaeis - Vietnamese: Chi Cọ dầu Elaeis(fromGreek, meaning "oil") is a genus ofpalmscontaining two species, calledoil palms. They are used in commercialagriculturein the production of palm oil. - The African oil palmElaeis guineensis(the species nameguineensis referring to its country of origin) is the principal source of palm oil, it is native to west and southwestAfrica, occurring betweenAngolaandGambia. - The American oil palmElaeis oleifera(fromEnglisholiferous, meaning "oil-producing") is native to tropicalCentralandSouth America,and is used locally for oil production. - Hybrids:Elaeis oleifera, which originated in Latin America, is a close relative ofElaeis guineensis. When crossed with its African cousin, it produces a slow-growing interspecific hybrid that is resistant to certain diseases. Its oil production is currently being improved. It gives a very deep red oil of excellent quality that is similar in composition to olive oil.﻿﻿1.1.8- Species Elaeis guineensis - the African oil palm﻿﻿ The Species Elaeis guineensisis a species ofpalmcommonly calledAfrican oil palmor macaw-fat.It is the principal source ofpalm oil. It is native to west and southwestAfrica, specifically the area betweenAngolaandthe Gambia; the species nameguineensisrefers to the name for the area,Guinea, and not the modern countrywhich now bears that name. Human use of oil palms may date as far back as 5,000 years in West Africa; in the late 1800s, archaeologists discovered palm oil in a tomb at Abydos dating back to 3,000 BCE.It is thought that Arab traders brought the oil palm to Egypt. The species is also now naturalised inMadagascar,Sri Lanka,Malaysia,Sumatra, Central America, theWest Indiesand several islands in theIndianandPacific Oceans. The closely related American oil palmElaeis oleiferaand a more distantly related palm,Attalea maripa, are also used to produce palm oil. SeveralvarietiesandformsofElaeis guineensishave been selected that have different characteristics. These include: E. guineensisfo.Dura E. guineensisvar.pisifera E, guineensisfo.Tenera﻿

﻿1.3- Etymology﻿ Elaeis guineensisoriginated inGuinea, Africa and was first illustrated by Nicholaas Jacquinin 1763. The scientific name for the oil palm,Elaeis guineensis, comes from the Ancient Greekelaia, meaning olive, because of its oil-rich fruits. The species name guineensis refers to the name for the area, Guinea, and not the modern country which now bears that name.

1.4- Origin and distribution+ Origin Elaeis(fromGreek, meaning "oil") is a genus ofpalmscontaining two species, calledoil palms. They are used in commercialagriculturein the production of palm oil. - The African oil palmElaeis guineensis Jacq. (the species nameguineensisreferring to its country of origin) is the principal source of palm oil, it is native to west and southwestAfrica, occurring betweenAngolaandGambia. -The American oil palmElaeis oleifera(fromEnglisholiferous, meaning "oil-producing") is native to tropicalCentralandSouth America,and is used locally for oil production.+Distribution The oil palm Elaeis guineensisoriginated inWest Africa, but has since been planted successfully in tropical regions within 20 degrees of the equator. Itis now extensively cultivated in tropical countries outside Africa, particularly Malaysia and Indonesia which together produce most of the world supply. Nowadays the oil palm are grown extensively in West Africa, its original home, and in Malaya, Sumatra, Java, India, and the United States.﻿﻿﻿﻿Oil Palm is cultivated in 43 countries throughout the World. The world's largest producer including: Indonesia, Malaysia, Nigeria, Thailand, Colombia, Benin, Cameroon, Kenya, Ghana…﻿﻿﻿﻿

Map of oil palm planting on the World

2- Botanical characteristics of Oil Palm

﻿﻿2.1- Description:﻿ Palms are large perennial plants. However, they are not trees in the botanical sense. Palms do not have trunks - they do not produce wood - but stems.+ The stem: Oil palm tree is an stem reaching a height of 4 to 10 meters and can grow to20 meterstall. The stem is of constant diameter and not ramified, has diamond-shaped scars where the leaves have been cut, which spiral around it.+ The roots: The rootsare numerous, long and ramified. They provide the palm with minerals and water, and anchor it in the soil.+ The leaves: Theleavesare pinnateand reach between3-5 mlong. Leaflets are numerous, linear-lanceolate, nearly 1 meter long, 2 to 4 centimeters wide. They are more than 300 leaflets on several levels. The leaf base, or petiole, is edged with sharp thorns. A young palm produces about 30 leaves a year. Established palms over 10 years produce about 20 leaves a year. The leaves or frondssurround and protect the terminal bud. The palm puts out new leaves continuously from the centre of the crown, while the older leaves are pruned or dry out and fall naturally. + The flowers: The flowersdevelop on inflorescences, some male, some female, in the axil of each frond, except in the event of early abortion. Theflowersare produced in dense clusters; each individual flower is small, with three sepals and three petals. Male inflorescence is dense, having numerous, cylindric spikes which are 7 to 12 centimeters long and about 1 centimeter in diameter; the rachises excurrent as a stout awn. Female inflorescence is dense, branched, 20 to 30 centimeters long, the flowers densely disposed.+ The fruits: Fruit is borne in large dense masses. Fruit is borne in large dense masses. The fruits of the oil palmconsist of the following parts: - Pulp:the pulp is yellow;when the pulp is crushed it yields palm oil. - Seed:inside the shell of the seed is the kernel;when the kernel is crushed, it yields palm kernel oil. The kernel also contains thegerm. The fruits of all oil palms are not the same. They are not all of the same size. The pulp is not equally thick in all of them. The shell is not equally thick. Some kernels have no shell at all. The palm fruit is reddish, about the size of a large plum, and grows in large bunches. Each fruit is made up of an oily, fleshy outer layer (the pericarp), with a singleseed(thepalm kernel), also rich in oil. The fruits have a smooth skin covering an oily, fibrous pulp, which itself surrounds a very hard black shell. The shell, which has three germinative pores, protects the solid oval palm kernel. The shell and kernel make up the palm seed. Around the kernel there are one to three very small embryos that feed on the kernel after germination, giving rise to between one and three plantlets. The palm fruit takes five to six months to mature from pollination to maturity. When ripe, each bunch of fruit can weigh 40-50 kg (88-110 lb). A ripe adult bunch weighs an average of 15 to 25 kilos and has around 1500 fruits.﻿

Oil palm garden

Oil palm tree

Oil palm fruits

﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿2.2- Palm oil, the main product from Oil palm﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿ Palm oilis an edible vegetable oil derived from the mesocarp (reddish pulp) of the fruit of the oil palms, primarily the African oil palm Elaeis guineensis, and to a lesser extent from the American oil palm Elaeis oleifera and the maripa palm Attalea maripa.﻿﻿2.2.1- Types of oil palm﻿﻿ The main three types of oil palm differ in terms of the thickness of the fruit shell: -The duratype has thick shells. -The pisifera type is characterized by the lack of a shell; however, these palms are sterile females and only very rarely bear fruit. -The tenera type, a hybrid of the above two, characterized by its thin shell. The pollination of a durapalm inflorescence by pollen from a pisiferapalm produces 100% tenerapalms, which are are used in all of today's oil palm plantings.2.2.2- Types of oil palm fruit colouring There are three different types in terms of fruit colour: - The nigrescenstype, the most common, which has black fruits that turn reddish-brown as they ripen. - The virescens type, which is green when immature and subsequently turns orange. - The albescenstype, whose pulp does not contain carotenoids.2.2.3- Types of palm oil from oil palm Oil palm produces two different types of oil simultaneously: the palm oil and palm-kernel oil. - The Palm oil or Red palm oil, produced from the orangey-yellow pulp, which contains around 50% oil. The Palm oil consists principally of palmitin and olein, used primarily in the manufacture of soaps and candles. - The Palm kernel oil (PKO), which is a creamy colour. The kernel contains around 50% PKO, which is similar to coconut oil. The palm kernel oil consists chiefly of glyceride of lauric acid, together with palmitic, oleic and myristic acids, some caprylic acid, capric acid and phytosterin, and used for making vegetable butter.2.2.4- The differences between the Palm oil and the Palm kernel oil Palm oil from oil palm is naturally reddish in color because of a high beta-carotene content. It is not to be confused with palm kernel oil derived from the kernel of the same fruit, or coconut oil derived from the kernel of the coconut palm (Cocos nucifera). The differences are in color (raw palm kernel oil lacks carotenoids and is not red), and in saturated fat content: Palm mesocarp oil is 41% saturated, while Palm Kernel oil and Coconut oil are 81% and 86% saturated respectively.﻿2.2.5- The yield of oil palm ﻿ Oil palm is considered the highest yielding oil-bearing crop. Oil is extracted from the fruit pulp (palm oil) and the kernel (palm kernel oil). For every 100 kg of fruit bunches, 22 kg of palm oil and 1.6 kg of palm kernel oil can be extracted. It has a high oil yield (7,259 liters per hectare per year), high levels of natural antioxidant, and comparatively cheaper pricing. It has more saturated fats than canola, corn linseed, soybean, safflower and sunflower oils and can withstand deep-fry heat, with a resistance to oxidation.﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿

﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿2.3- Chemistry and nutrition of palm oil ﻿﻿﻿﻿+ General chemistry of palm oil﻿﻿﻿ Palm oil is, like all fats, composed of fatty acids, esterified with glycerol. It is high in saturated fatty acids. Palm oil gives its name to the 16-carbon saturated fatty acid palmitic acid. Monounsaturated oleic acid is also a constituent of palm oil. Unrefined palm oil is a large natural source of tocotrienol, part of the vitamin E family. Along with coconut oil, palm oil is one of the few highly saturatedvegetable fats. It is semi-solid at room temperature and contains several saturated and unsaturated fats in the forms of glyceryl laurate (0.1%, saturated), myristate (1%, saturated), palmitate (44%, saturated), stearate (5%, saturated), oleate (39%, monounsaturated), linoleate (10%, polyunsaturated), and alpha-linolenate (0.3%, polyunsaturated). Like all vegetable oils, palm oil does not contain cholesterol, although saturated fat intake increases a person's LDL and HDL cholesterol.﻿+ Fatty acid content of palm oil﻿ The approximate concentration of fatty acids in palm oil is: Type of fatty acid: pctMyristic (saturated C14): 1.0%Palmitic (saturated C16): 43.5%Stearic (saturated C18 ): 4.3%Oleic (monounsaturated C18): 36.6%Linoleic (polyunsaturated C18): 9.1% Other/Unknown: 5.5% See more in: Palmitic acid+ Note on palm oil nutrition Red palm oil gets its name from its characteristic dark red color, which comes from carotenoids, such as alpha-carotene, beta-carotene and lycopene, the same nutrients that give tomatoes, carrots and other fruits and vegetables their rich colors. Red palm oil contains at least 10 other carotenes, along with tocopherols and tocotrienols (members of the vitamin Efamily), CoQ10, phytosterols, and glycolipids. Since the mid-1990s, red palm oil has been cold-pressed and bottled for use as cooking oil, and blended into mayonnaise and salad oil. Red palm oil antioxidants like tocotrienols and carotenes are added to foods and cosmetics because of their purported health benefits. A 2009 study tested the emission rates of acrolein, a toxic and malodorous breakdown product from glycerol, from the deep-frying of potatoes in red palm, olive, and polyunsaturated sunflower oils. The study found higher acrolein emission rates from the polyunsaturated sunflower oil (the scientists characterized red palm oil as "mono-unsaturated") and lower rates from both palm and olive oils. The World Health Organization established a tolerable oral acrolein intake of 7.5 mg/day per kilogram of body weight. Although acrolein occurs in French fries, the levels are only a few micrograms per kilogram. A 2011 study concluded a health risk from acrolein in food is unlikely. The USDA agricultural research service states that palm oil is not a healthy substitute for trans fats. Much of the palm oil that is consumed as food is to some degree oxidized rather than in the fresh state, and this oxidation appears to be responsible for the health risk associated with consuming palm oil. According to the World Health Organization, evidence is convincing that consumption of palmitic acid increases risk of developing cardiovascular diseases, placing it in the same evidence category as trans fatty acids. Trans fats are also solid at room temperature. ﻿﻿﻿﻿

﻿2.5- Health Benefits of red palm oil﻿+ Overview Both palm oil (red palm oil) and palm kernel oil (white palm oil) originate from the oil palm Elaeis guineesis. While red palm oil is extracted from the fruit but palm kernel oil is derived from the seed. According to Dr. Gourmet: “Palm oil has only 50% of saturated fat but Palm kernel oil much higher in saturated fat - at about 80%. Palm oil also has a higher ratio of ‘good fats’ though and early research shows that palm oil has similar effects on cholesterol profiles (total cholesterol, HDL and LDL cholesterol) as olive oil”. Recent research suggests that the two aren’t as alike as previously thought, as red palm oil has shown superior health benefits to not only palm kernel oil, but to virtually every other edible oil on the planet! Red palm oil has been celebrated as a healing tonic among ancient civilizations, but has been overlooked by modern health practitioners due to its mistaken similarities to palm kernel oil. Rich in phytonutrients, red palm oil owes the majority of its antioxidant super powers to its high concentration of carotenoids and tocotrienols. You’ve probably heard about carotenoids such as lycopene and beta-carotene, which lend the bright red and orange hues-and powerful health benefits-to tomatoes and carrots. Red palm oil significantly contains more potent levels of these phytonutrients. Tocotrienols are a superior form of vitamin E (40 to 60 times more powerful than tocopherols) that control free radicals and inflammation (the primary cause of heart disease). Tocotrienols are also powerful anti-cancer agents that help ward off cancers of the skin, stomach, pancreas, liver, lung, colon, prostate and bosom. Abeng News Magazine explained further that It is high in Vitamin E (tocotrienols and tocopherols), which maintains healthy, supple skin. Palm oil’s potent Vitamin E tocotrienols is described as a super-antioxidant that neutralizes disease causing free radicals-it has the highest level of tocotrienols among all vegetable oils. Redpalm oil is healthier than olive oil and coconut oil and has been proven to reverse the symptoms of heart disease and protect against certain cancers Move over olive and coconut - there’s a new oil in town proven even more effective at cutting the risk of heart disease and degenerative illnesses: red palm oil. In fact, Dr. Oz claims, “none compare to the powerful nutritional virtues of red palm oil.”+ 12 Facts on Palm Oil (and also Palm Olein) Significant scientific findings and propositions arise from painstaking efforts in many laboratories. Once these observations withstand the security of time and re-evaluation by peer review they eventually become accepted as FACTS. Research has confirmed and established many scientific facts about nutritional effects of palm oil, twelve of which are presented here. Each fact has been thoroughly examined and evaluated by scientists dedicated to discovering scientifically proven data about palm oil regardless of popular perceptions or misconceptions.1- Long Record of Safe Use Palm oil has been a safe and nutritious source of edible oil for healthy humans for thousands of years.2- Consumed Worldwide﻿ Palm oil and its liquid fraction, palm olein, are consumed worldwide as cooking oils and as constituents of margarines and shortenings; these oils are also incorporated into fat blends used in the manufacture of a variety of food products as well as in home food preparation.3- Excellent Dietary Energy Source Like other common edible fats and oils, palm oil is easily digested, absorbed and utilized in normal metabolic processes. It plays a useful role in meeting energy and essential fatty acid needs in many regions of the world. 4- Free of Cholesterol and Trans Unsaturated Fatty Acids Palm oil, like other vegetable oils, is cholestrol free. Having a moderate level of saturation, it does not require hydrogenation for use as a fat component in foods and , as such, does not contain trans fatty acids. 5- Rich Carotenoids Red (unprocessed) and red or golden (specially refined) palm oils, the major cooking oils in many parts of the world, are rich sources of beta-carotene, an antioxidant and precursor of Vitamin A and tocotrienols, all of which have antioxidant properties. 6- Vitamin E Antioxidants Palm oil and palm oil products are naturally occuring sources of the antioxidant vitamin E constituents, tocopherols and tocotrienols. These natural antioxidants act as scavengers of damaging oxygen free radicals and are hypothesized to play a protective role in cellular aging, atherosclerosis and cancer. 7- Balanced Fatty Acid Composition﻿Palm olein contains a mixture of polyunsaturated, monounsaturated and saturated fatty acids. The relative concentrations are 44% oleic acid, 10% linoleic acid, 40% palmitic acid and 5% stearic acid. The concentrations of palmitic and oleic acids are reversed in unfractionated palm oil i.e. 44% and 40% respectively. The fatty acid composition of palm oil is similar to that of the adipose tissue in most people on an ordinary diet.﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿8- Provides Linoleic Acid: An Essential Fatty Acid﻿﻿﻿﻿ Palm oil triglycerides carry linoleic acid predominately in the 2-position, which favours absorption and availability for use in the body.9- Palm Oil is Not Palm Kernel Oil or Coconut Oil Palm oil from the fruit of the palm is physically and chemically different from either palm kernel oil which is derived from the seed, and from coconut oil, both of which are highly saturated.10- Favourable Nutritional Studies Human feeding studies and epidemiologic data have shown that palm oil or palm olein do not ordinarily raise blood cholesterol levels in direct comparison with olive or canola and peanut oils.In several such studies blood cholesterol was reduced from entry level values and palmitic acid (16:0) was found equivalent to oleic acid (18:1) insofar as it affected cholesterol metabolism. A balance between linoleic (18:2) and palmitic (16:0) acids may be required to maximize HDL levels. Substitution of palmitic acid (16:0) from palm oil or palm olein for the lauric acid (12:0) and myristic acid (14:0) combination from palm kernel or coconut oils leads to a decrease in plasma and LDL cholesterol.Of several fats tested, including a fat blend approximating American intake, a palm oil-enriched diet fed to hamsters induced the highest level of protective HDL-chlolesterol and the greatest production of liver LDL receptors, key to removal of harmful LDL-cholesterol from the blood. 11- Anti-Thrombotic Rats fed a palm oil-enriched diet have a reduced tendency for blood clotting.12- Inhibits Cancer Growth Red palm olein is a major source of carotenoids which effectively inhibit some types of cancer. A diet containing palm oil, compared to diets based on other oils but which provide the same number of calories, exerted an inhibitory effect on the development and incidence of experimentally-induced breast cancer in rats. It has also been shown that the tocotrienols present in palm oil inhibit the growth of cancer cells in vivoas well as in vitro. Source: palm-info-nutritional-factshttp://www.mpob.gov.my/en/palm-info/nutritional-facts/515-achievements+ Studies •Wound Healing/Antimicrobial:Phytochemical screening yielded tannins, alkaloids, steroids, saponins, terpenoids and flavonoids. The extract showed significant activity against C albican. Results show a potent wound healing capacity as evidenced by better wound closures, improved tissue regeneration and histopath evidence, with a significant reduction of microbial count. •Antimicrobial:Traditionally extracted palm oil and palm kernel oil, tested individually on five microorganisms - S aureus, E coli, P aeruginosa, C albicans and A niger- showed inhibition. When the extracts were mixed, only E coli was minimally inhibited. •Lipid Oxidation:Supplementaion of palm oil as an antioxidant to a certain extent reduced lipid oxidation in healthy rats; but worsened or not significantly inhibited in diabetic rats. •Hepatoprotective:Study evaluated the hepatoprotective activity of E. guineensis against paracetamol- induced liver injury in mice through serum analysis.Mice treated with leaf extract showed significant decline in ALT, AST, and bilirubin levels. The hepatoprotection was attributed to an antioxidant activity. •Wound Healing / Leaf Extract Ointment:Study of E. guineensis leaf extract showed potent wound healing capacity as evidenced by better wound closure, improved tissue regeneration, together with histopath improvement. •Antihypertensive and Cardiovascular Effects / Catechin-Rich:Study evaluated the catechin-rich oil palm leaf extract (OPLE) for antioxidant, antihypertensive, and cardiovascular effects in normal and NO-deficient hypertensive rats.Results showed significant attenuation of blood pressure increases, increased serum NO, reduced lipid peroxidation, and antioxidant effects. •Cytotoxicity / Anti-Cancer:Study evaluated the cytotoxic effects of a methanol extract on MCF-7 and Vero cell. Results showed significant cytotoxic effects on MCF-7, suggesting a potential use of the extract in preparing recipes for cancer-related ailments. •Antioxidant / Renoprotection in Diabetes:Results of study of oil palm leaf extract (OPLE) showedimprovement in renal dysfunction and pathology in diabetes. Renoprotection was via catechin-rich OPLE modulation of oxidative stress caused by hyperglycemic-induced generation of free radicals in the diabetic kidney and prevention of renal dysfunction and structural injury. •Acute Toxicity Study / Brine-Shrimp Lethality:Acute oral toxicity and brine shrimp lethality of a methanolic extract was tested. Results showed E. guineensis is nontoxic and safe for commercial utilization. Source: African Oil Palmhttp://www.stuartxchange.com/AfricanOilPalm.html+ Note! The CSPI also reported that theWorld Health Organizationand the USNational Heart, Lung and Blood Institutehave encouraged consumers to limit the consumption of palmitic acid and foods high in saturated fat.In response to negative reports on palm oil many food manufacturers transitioned to using hydrogenated vegetable oils in their products, which have also come under scrutiny for the impact these oils have on health.A 2006 study supported by theNational Institutes of Healthand the USDAAgricultural Research Serviceconcluded that palm oil is not a safe substitute for partially hydrogenated fats (trans fats) in the food industry, because palm oil results in adverse changes in the blood concentrations of LDL cholesterol andapolipoprotein Bjust as trans fat does. However, according to two reports published in 2010 by the Journal of the American College of Nutrition palm oil is again an accepted replacement for hydrogenated vegetable oils and a natural replacement for partially hydrogenated vegetable oils, which are a significant source of trans fats. Palm oil is also an important source of calories and a food staple in poor communities.

2.6- Planting of Oil palm on the World﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿+ History﻿﻿﻿﻿ Human use of oil palms may date back about 5,000 years in coastal west Africa. Palm oil was also discovered in the late 1800s by archaeologists, in a tomb at Abydos dating back to 3000 BCE.It is thought that Arab traders brought the oil palm to Egypt. In theRepublic of the Congo, or Congo Brazzaville, precisely in the Northern part, not far fromOuesso, local people produce this oil by hand. They harvest the fruit, boil it to let the water evaporate, then press what is left to collect the reddish-orange-colored oil. As noted it originally grew in West Africa. The southern coast of Nigeria was originally called the Palm oil coast by the first Europeans who arrived there and traded in the commodity. This area was later renamed the Bight of Biafra. Elaeis guineensisoriginated inGuinea, Africa and was first illustrated by Nicholaas Jacquinin 1763. Oil palms were introduced toJavaby the Dutch in 1848,and toMalaysia (then the British colony ofMalaya) in 1910 by Scotsman William Sime and English banker Henry Darby. In Malaysia, the first plantations were mostly established and operated by British plantation owners, such asSime Darbyand Boustead, and remainedlistedinLondonuntil the Malaysian government engineered their "Malaysianisation" throughout the 1960s and 1970s.+ Production﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿In 1995, Malaysia
was the world's largest producer, with a 51% of world share, but since 2007,Indonesiahas been the world's largest producer,
supplying approximately 50% of world palm oil volume.Nowadays Oil Palm is cultivated in 43
countries throughout the World. Worldwide palm oil production for
season 2011/2012 was 50.3 millionmetric tons,
increasing to 52.3 million tons for 2012/13.In
2010/2011, total production of palm kernels was 12.6 million tonnes. The top producers of oil palm are: -
Indonesia: Planting about 7.8
million hectares (in 2011) of which 6.1
million ha were harvested with palm oil
production 28.50 million tonnes (in
2012) and thus Indonesia
has become the global leader inCrude
Palm Oil(CPO) production. See more in:Palm oil production in Indonesia - Malaysia:
In 2012,Malaysia, the
world's second largest producer of palm oil, produced roughly 5 million hectares
(19,000 sq mi) with production of palm oil 18.79 million tonnes. Though Indonesia
produces more palm oil, Malaysia
is the world's largest exporter of palm oil having exported 18 million tonnes of palm oil products
in 2011.China,Pakistan, theEuropean Union,Indiaand
theUnited Statesare the primary importers of Malaysian
palm oil products. See more in:Palm oil production in Malaysia - Nigeria:
As of 2011,Nigeriawas the third-largest producer, with
approximately 2.3 million
hectares (5.7×106acres)
under cultivation. Until 1934, Nigeria had been the world's
largest producer. Both small- and large-scale producers participated in the
industry. - Thailand:
Thailand produced roughly 5.7 million hectares with oil
production 1.3 million tonnes (in 2013). The government of Thailand
proposes to expand land use for exportable cash crops to 10,000,000 hectares in
2027. - Colombia:
Colombiahas now become the largest palm oil
producer in the Americas,
and 35% of its product is exported as biofuel. In 2006, the Colombian
plantation owners' association, Fedepalma, reported that oil palm cultivation
was expanding to 1 million hectares
(3,900 sq mi). - Other countries: Benin, Cameroon,
Kenya, Ghana… Palm oil plantations are under increasing scrutiny for social and environmental harm, particularly because rainforests with high biodiversity are destroyed, greenhouse gas output is increased, and because people are displaced by unscrupulous palm-oil enterprises.

3- Oil Palm in Vietnam

3.1- General about vegetable oil production in Vietnam In Vietnam, vegetable oil is mainly produced from copra, soy bean, peanut and sesame. The oil crop production in Vietnam (2008) including:

Source: FAO STAT 2010 and OPI Vietnam In 2008, Vietnam had thirty five companies processing vegetable oil in thirteen provinces with a potential capacity of 1,129,000 tons of refined oil per year (the real capacity was 51.3% of the total) and 2,969,000 tons of oily materials (the real capacity was 35.3%), equal to 85,000 tons of crude vegetable oil. Among them, the Vocarimex Company and its sub-companies and joint ventures produced 78.74% of total refined oil and 23.24% of total crude vegetable oil. The main oil company in Vietnam is National Company for Vegetable oils, Aromas and Cosmetic of Vietnam (Vocarimex). Its joint ventures include: Golden Hope Nha Be Edible Oils., Ltd, Cai Lan Oils & Fats Industries Co., Ltd, and LG VINA Cosmetics. This group of companies holds 95% of the market shares in edible oils and 20% of perfume shares in the domestic market. They currently have a mill capacity to process 828,000 tons of edible oils mainly from imported oily materials, including crude palm oil from Indonesia and Malaysia. It is expected that by 2015 the capacity of these companies will increase to 1.5 million tons of oil. However, disaggregated data regarding how much palm oil is being processed is not available. The competitive ability of Vietnam’s vegetable oil is lower than that of other South East Asian countries because Vietnam has to import 90% of its oily materials, of which palm oil is primarily imported from Malaysia and Indonesia. Almost all the oil companies in Vietnam import refined oil to produce end-products. Domestic agricultural production does not supply enough for local vegetable oil consumption and as a result, oily materials (including crude palm oil) used by almost all vegetable oil companies have to be imported. From 2000 to 2008, the rate of oil import in Vietnam increased by an average of 12.6% per year, but the rate of oil export decreased gradually. Therefore, the trade gap in Vietnamese oil industry was extremely high. In 2008, the export turn-over of the oil industry reached $700 million. Based on forecasts for vegetable oil by Oil Palm Expansion in South East Asia, Vietnam will have to import crude oil for a value of more than $1 billion in 2015. By 2020, it is estimated that Vietnam will produce 1,420,000-1,730,000 tons of refined oil, 280,000-430,000 thousand tons of crude oil (mainly produced from different imported oily materials, including crude palm oil) and will export 60,000 tons of oil. By 2025, Vietnam will be able to produce 1,680,000-2,130,000 tons of refined oil and 320,000-520,000 tons of crude oil and will export 80,000 tons of oil. However, it must be kept in mind that disaggregated data on these predictions is both difficult to obtain and to verify.

﻿3.2- History of cultivation oil palm in Vietnam There are five species of fruits from Family Palmaceae in Vietnam: 1- Vietnamese Coconut (Dua), 2- Vietnamese Betel nut palm (Cau), 3- Vietnamese Nipa palm (Dua nuoc), 4- Vietnamese Sugar palm (Thot not), 5- Vietnamese Oil palm (Co dau). In which oil palm is a foreign species that was introduced to Vietnam from 19th to 20th century. The Oil palm or African oil palm (Elaeis guineensis Jacq.) is native to west and southwestAfrica, it was introduced toJava (Indonesia)by the Dutch in 1848,and toMalaysia (then the British colony ofMalaya) in 1910 by Scotsman William Sime and English banker Henry Darby. From here is it was introduced to other Southeast Asia and China. Oil palm was first introduced to Vietnam by the French in 1878 and used primarily as a decorative plant. + Before 1975: Palm oil has appeared intermittently in governmental policies over the past five decades, beginning in 1962, when President Ho Chi Minh instructed the Ministry of Agriculture (now known as the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development) to research and develop oil palm. In 1965, Mr. Mai Xuân Tạnh imported oil palm to Vietnam from Hainan (China) under the directive of President Ho Chi Minh. At that time Mr Tạnh worked at the Ministry of Agriculture. The oil palm had been researched at Nghe An and Ha Tinh provines from 1966. In 1967, Vietnam imported Dura oil palms from China to research in three experimental farms in Thanh Hoa, Hung Yen and Nghe An provinces. By March 1971, oil palm had been planted for research purposes in Huong Son district, Ha Tinh province. + After 1975: The oil palm in Vietnam was cultivated from the early 20th century to 1976 in some places such as in the gardens of Hanoi, Hai Phong, Tuyen Quang, Huong Son (Ha Tinh), Bien Hoa (Dong Nai) was recognized that in the southern oil palm grows well than in the north. In Vietnam can grow palm oil from the South-central to the South. After the country united, Ministry of Agriculture of Vietnam interested in importing the oil palm seeds for researching to cultivate them in Vietnam. In 1978, oil palm was thinly grown as a model crop in Nghe An, Quang Tri, Binh Dinh, Khanh Hòa, and Dong Nai provinces. In 1980, oil palm continued to be imported and planted for experimentation in some southern provinces of Vietnam. From November 17th to 19th 1980, the Ministry of Agriculture organised a conference focusing on oil palm in Ha Tinh province and concluded that oil palm could be cultivated from Ha Tinh to the southern areas of Vietnam. In 1981, the result of the conference was reported to the Prime Minister who later agreed to initiate oil palm cultivation on a large scale. Later in 1986, the government assigned the project of a “Study on the adaptability of oil palm grown in the south of Vietnam” to the Vietnam Vegetable Oil Research Institute in order to establish a scientific basis for the planning and development of oil palm in Vietnam. In Vietnam, since 1978 oil palm trees have been planted with small area in the provinces of Nghe An, Quang Binh, Binh Dinh, Khanh Hoa, Dong Nai. Which showed that palm oil development and growth, flowering, but yields results low because it is not adequate care. However, no one can answer the growing conditions and proper care techniques in Vietnam palm oil would yield much, economic efficiency like. To answer this question, since 1986 the state has assigned the Oil Plant Institute (OPI) implemented the project "Research adaptability of palm oil in the South" to study the scientific basis for the planning and development of oil palm in Vietnam. In 1986, the South has about 650 ha of oil palm plantation in Gia An, Dong Nai (Dong Nai Oil Plant Company) to exploit oil. The OPI has researched for oil and oil plants have also conducted trials adaptability of oil palm on the ecological zones: areas of salty and alkaline soil at Binh Khanh and Hoa Do (Can Gio district, Ho Chi Minh City), the ancient alluvial soil at Moc Hoa (Long An province), the gray soil at Xuan Loc (Dong Nai province), the lightly acid sulphate soils at Nuoc Muc Agricultural Farm (Ben Luc district, Long An province), the slightly acidic and salinity soil at Thu Duc district (Ho Chi Minh City) and sandy coastal areas (Phu Cat district, Binh Dinh province). Each researched area growing 1-2 ha of oil palm with varieties Tenera C and D: C0101, C7001, C7128, C2101 and D1439 are imported from France and garden nursery at Xuan Loc Oil Farm (Dong Nai province). The seedlings of oil palm are planted on different ecological zones such as the above mentioned. By 1996, the area of cultivated oil palm was 650 hectares including 600 ha in Xuan Loc (Đong Nai), 5 ha in Ham Tan (Thuan Hai), 7 ha in Suoi Trau (Khanh Hoa), 5 ha in Phu Cat (Binh Dinh), 4 ha in Ho Chi Minh City, 7 ha in Tay Ninh, and 2 ha in Kien Giang. In 2001, oil palm was grown over an area of 56.7 ha in Dong Ha (Quang Tri).﻿

3.3- The fact of cultivation oil palm in Vietnam in current time Vietnam now has more than 650 ha of oil palm plantations. While this area appears insignificant at present, it may act as a foundation for the further expansion of oil palm in the near future. In Vietnam Oil Palm trees with 15 years old has the chamber of fruits weighing 8.6 kg / chamber. Compared with the same age of Malaysian oil palm weight from 18 kg to 20 kg / chamber. The yield of oil palm fruits in Vietnam are about 10.9 tons of fruits / ha, respectively with 2.6 tons of oil / ha. Compared with the same age of Malaysian oil palm get 25-30 tons of fruits / ha or 6-7 tons of palm oil /ha. Such oil palms of Vietnam have many problems about soil conditions, technics of cultivation, economic efficiency and the help of government... As mentioned previously, no commercial palm oil is currently being produced in Vietnam. Annually, Vietnam imports a large amount of vegetable oil of a value of over 700 million USD of which palm oil imported from Indonesia and Malaysia accounts for 77.88%. Oil palm production remains in the trial period and has not yet been expanded commercially for several reasons. - Firstly, detailed and practical research and trials are necessary before oil palm can be cultivated as a viable commercial crop. - Secondly, there are already several high value industrial crops occupying extensive areas of land in Vietnam, such as copra, soybean, peanut and sesame. It remains to be established to what extent land suitable for growing oil palm may conflict with these other high value crops. Finally, and related to the previous point, there remains relatively little unused land available for oil palm cultivation as a result of the mass production of other high value crops (Nguyen, Nguyen & Tran 2008).

3.4- The future of oil palm plantation in Vietnam Although no commercial production of palm oil can be documented yet in Vietnam, some of the landmarks in oil palm cultivation in recent years can be identified. Although there now exist several policies regarding the introduction and development of oil palm in the cropping system as a potential and valuable commercial industrial plant, oil palm cultivation at Vietnam remains at the experimental stage. More recently in 2009, the people’s committee of Dak Nong planned to develop oil palm over an area of 10,000 ha in Dak G’Long district. The CT Group from Malaysia handles this project. In the first period, the CT group will plant 2,000 - 4,000 ha of oil palm if conditions are favourable for the project. From 2010 to 2015, the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Hau Giang projects to build a high-tech agricultural area of 5,000 ha, all of which will be used to grow oil palm in order to produce edible oils and bio-oils. The investors plan to expand palm oil production in Bac Lieu, Kien Giang by increasing the plantation area by up to 10,000 ha. Despite these limitations, cultivating oil palm to develop bio-oils is being considered as an option by the Vietnamese government. On November 20th 2007, the Prime Minister approved a project named “The development of bio-fuels for the year 2015, vision to 2025”. The government is investing 259.2 billion VND (28.8 billion USD per year) for the nine-year project that will run from 2007 to 2015. The project suggests that the production of ethanol and vegetable oils (from diverse types of oily materials, and not only palm oil) has to reach 1.8 million tons in order to meet 5% of the petrol needs of the country. The government also gives rights to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development to combine with the Ministry of Industry and Trade, the Ministry of Planning and the Investment Portal to plan and develop the areas for Vietnamese bio-fuel industry in the future. In fact, cultivation of oil palm in Vietnam not get any development until 2014.

3.5- Conclusion 1. Palm oil adaptability and yield when grown quite in areas of suitable habitat in the East-South and Mekong Delta oil yield of 2.4 - 2.6 tons / ha. 2. Oil palm cultivation on acid sulphate soils for oil content/dry weight from 52.25 to 56.06%, palm kernel oil content of 45 -52% and oil quality (fatty acid composition) of oil equivalent Malaysian palm. 3. No notes the presence of pests, diseases in oil palm. 4. Oil palms of Vietnam have many problems about soil conditions, technics of cultivation, economic efficiency and the help of government... Especially in processing of palm oil in farmer’s house and need to have and industrial system of palm oil production effective.